Open Studio: Life in the Backstage
07:30 pm, Sun 09 Nov 2025
Goethe-Institut Hà Nội
58 Nguyễn Thái Học, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Registration link
Language: Vietnamese with parallel English translation
From the organizer:
After more than a year of exploration and cultivation of independent theatre practices in Hanoi, the project “New Backstage” is reaching its conclusion. Over the course of the initiative, four original productions were presented to the public, each reflecting the diverse potential of Hanoi’s emerging independent theatre scene.
To celebrate the journey of “New Backstage,” the Goethe-Institut Hanoi and XplusX Studio proudly present a try-out performance featuring short excerpts from experimental plays by Hanoian artists selected from the project. These works offer diverse perspectives on urban life and youth experiences, expressed through a variety of genres—from dance theatre to spoken drama. By focusing on work-in-progress pieces that are still evolving, the performance highlights the raw creative energy and potential of theatre at its early production stages.
Following the performance, audiences are invited to “backstage” for an open discussion with the directors of the four productions that was presented this year: The Pillowman, Why Are We Here, “Nguyên (âm) đơn” and Passion. This conversation will reveal behind-the-scenes insights and offer a deeper look into the creative processes and challenges of independent theatre-making in Hanoi.
About try-out performance:
Work: Diệp in the Role of Nhi
Description: Diệp in the Role of Nhi is a stage experiment where costume becomes the starting point of performance.
The piece unfolds as a fashion designer’s introspection — tracing how garments, once created for others, return to shape her own body, gestures, and voice.
Production Team:
Director: Trần Quỳnh Nhi
Performer: Tố Diệp
Work: Daffodil
Description:
A young man has more than three dates in a single week. He meets them — different women, different versions of love that could have been.
Daffodil begins with seemingly random encounters through a dating app, where the young man tirelessly searches for true love. But he knows he will never find anything. He has never escaped his own preoccupations. If Narcissus was cursed to fall in love with his own reflection and met a tragic end, is this young man also forever trapped at the mirror-like lake?
The play is a kind of response to love in the city: both a self-assigned exercise for young people and a repetitive act to feel a sense of existence. Daffodil presents the relentless search for love as a way to construct identity amid the ambiguity of self-worth.
Production Team:
Script and Director: Trần Thu Thảo
Producer: Khánh Như
Cast: Thu Trà, Hồng Hưng
Work: Across the Dry River
Description: After a performance, Dương and Di return home in high spirits. They sing, dance, smoke, and chat. However, what seems like a casual evening quickly leads to deep secrets, moments of confrontation, and choices.
Production Team:
Director: Triều Dương
Playwright: Triều Dương
Producer: Nguyễn Minh Khuê
Art Design: Thùy Linh, Ngạo Thuyên
Cast: Quân Phạm, Vân Anh
Acting Advisor: Nguyễn Vũ
Photography: Việt Quân, Triều Dương
Project Assistant: Trần Trung Hiếu
Work: Thegame
Description: A dance duo performance incorporating spoken dialogue.
Production Team:
Director, dancer, choreographer, scriptwriter, and sound director: Hà Kiều Anh
Dancer: Hoàng Đại
Visual artist: Trần Thuỷ
Music director: Đỗ Đức Anh
Voice actor: Bùi Thạc Phong
Voice actor: Nguyễn Thu Hậu
Work: Perfect Human
Description: Perfect Human is a stage experiment involving one person and one camera, exploring human behavior when faced with the lens.
Production Team:
Director: Thục Võ
Cast: Nguyễn Trường Khang, Thục Võ
Assistants: Nguyễn Công Thục Anh, Nguyễn Minh Hà
Director and Creative Team:
Artistic Director: Hà Nguyên Long
Discussion Moderator: Vũ Thanh Bình
Discussion Speakers: Duy Vũ, Tố Diệp, Bùi Thạc Phong, Trần Hiếu
About the project “New Backstage”:
New Backstage is a theatre initiative curated by XplusX Studio and jointly organized by the Goethe-Institut Hanoi and Manzi Art Space. The project is dedicated to nurturing independent theatrical and performing arts practices in Hanoi.
New Backstage offers a comprehensive ecosystem of professional, technical, and educational support for emerging and independent theatre makers seeking to advance their careers. Through activities such as workshops, productions, and public performances, the initiative not only provides critical resources to young artists but also contributes to the diversification and enrichment of Hanoi’s theatre scene.
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